Deep Purple’s Steve Morse: ‘It Would Be Nice’ to Play With Ritchie Blackmore One Last Time

Is the rift between Deep Purple and former guitarist Ritchie Blackmore thinning? Blackmore and singer Ian Gillan in particular have infamously been at odds over the decades, but the embers of this once red hot feud seem to be cooling in recent months. In a new interview, Steve More addressed Blackmore's desire to play one final show with the group and was supportive of the notion.

Noting Blackmore is a founding member of the group, Morse told Billboard, "Fans would love it. It would be nice, I think, to see closure with everybody involved and the bad feelings put aside. I think they'd all get a kick out of it if they could get past the psychological barriers. I am a fan of music, I'm a musician. I am not a politician."

It puts Morse in a difficult situation as he's the longest serving guitarist of Deep Purple, having been with the rock legends since 1994. "Now, a lot of people would feel intimidated, to have somebody come who's likely to play over them, standing in front of them and stealing the spotlight or whatever," he acknowledged. "But I thought, a lot of people would love to see this. And at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I thought Ritchie Blackmore was going to show up. He could've played three songs, but I ended up doing them, because he didn't. That was up in the air.

Earlier this year, drummer Ian Paice said "there's no point" of reuniting with their iconic founding guitarist, but the chances are still appear greater than ever as Gillan has explained that he and Ritchie "have made our peace." Morse felt that "the ice has to be broken" between the two sides before anything can move forward. "I think that once that's done, they'd all have a great time. But I don't know how to go about doing that. Anyway, as far as I am concerned, all members, past and present and future (laughs) of Deep Purple, are welcome," he wrapped up.